⇨ MAINFRAME

[ringleaders]

Who: EVERYONE.
When: Day 92 - Day 105
Where: Mainframe, the city inside a computer.
What: The carnival stops at its next location, a computer world full of computer people. Except, this time it's not the Matrix, don't worry.
Warnings: Nothing inherently suspect here.

THIS PLACE, MAINFRAME↴ After the Nightrunners have done their search, you will be welcome to enter the tree portal into Mainframe. There is no loading room this time - instead, any alternations will occur as you pass through the portal. Remember to wear your icon buttons! If you aren't wearing one, you won't be able to pass through the portal, and during your stay you will not be able to remove it. The portal is currently opening into a forested area of Mainframe, filled with a bunch of sort of low res trees. A large section of a residential area has just been nullified by a Game Cube. A large quantity of former sprites and binomes are now wandering the city in the form of null worms, and the rest of the city is generally in a panic. You'll be able to learn about the details of what happened if you ask the locals, though they will act incredulous if you behave as if you don't know what a Game is. Just tell them you and the others just arrived from a different "system" in the "Net." Yeah, that seems to allay their suspicion. Nailed it. Here is a convenient map of the Mainframe from the original cartoon, which this setting is more or less based on. This Mainframe is larger and lacking areas dedicated to specific characters (no Megabyte or Dot's Diner), but is laid out basically the same, for reference's sake. ► LOW RES: Your glamour will come into affect as soon as you cross through the portal, and while you are here your body will function like a weird mixture of its original self and the formatting of a program. You can eat their food and use their amenities, but if one of them were to look at your coding it would be obviously foreign to them. Also, maybe your skin has turned blue, or green, and your clothes are suddenly way more 90's scifi? Maybe you look like a giant number 7 to other people. This place is weird, aesthetically speaking. ► RELIEF EFFORTS: For the altruist out there, you can offer help to the locals that are trying to recover from the recent Game loss. The buildings that were caught within the Cube's range are twisted and burnt out, as if the energy has been sucked right out of them, and it sounds like all the losers were transfigured into slugs. You might want to avoid Game Cubes if any show up. Just an FYI. (As if that will happen.) In the meantime, you can console the programs whose family members are now works, or help try to clean up the buildings that are now falling apart. Or, you can ignore all of this. That's cool, too. ► VIBRANT CULTURE: Despite being weird computer program people made of boxes and spheres, the people of Mainframe seem to live their lives much the same ways humans do. They have TV programs, restaurants, and other shops that you can buy weird 90's computer world bullshit from. There's even a Hollywood inspired area, where you can go to shows. They also have some neato hoverboard things you can fly around on. As usual, the Ringmaster will be giving people an allowance to buy any modest souvenirs or necessities during their stay. Feel free to be creative about fleshing out sections of the city! The mods barely remember the details of this show, either.

Comments

[fortuneglass]

I guess that's fair...

It really wasn't a bad place though! It was a 'real' Utopia~!

[amusicaladventure]

Really? [Despite her suspicions, she can't help but be curious.] What was it like?

[insidescoop]

It was...

[...She goes a bit quiet.] ...It was sort of like home, actually. Except if things were better-if there was no Satellite, no 'Tops'... ...It was really nice...

[amusicaladventure]

That doesn't tell me a lot, y'know. I don't actually know much about the world you came from.

[fortuneglass]

Ehe... ..I guess not...

...But there was a really big class divide where I came from-and no motion to help the ones who were suffering at all, basically. It was really nice to see a place where that wasn't the case..!

[amusicaladventure]

Oh. Ew.

[Ash makes a face (that, also, looks just a bit uncanny-valley), and decides she needs to stop asking.]

So that was the nicest place you saw while you've been in the carnival?

[insidescoop]

The nicest one? [Hmmmm...Very Good Question, actually. She frowns, and thinks it over.] Hmmmn...

Probably a mix of the Summerlands, and Alola, actually~ That pokemon place was just so nice and warm, and just 'real' enough that it wasn't right out of a fantasy..!

...The Summerlands were just good for sleeping though...

[amusicaladventure]

All these warm beachy places and I have yet to see you in a bikini. [Ash tuts, grinning.] Alola was pretty nice if you don't mind how weird the whole Pokemon thing is, I'll give you that!

[fortuneglass]

I-I-

You know I've worn mine at the springs in the carnival grounds right!?

[amusicaladventure]

And yet I keep missing you there! How about we go together sometime?

[insidescoop]

Th-

If you want to join me so bad just join me..!!! You're making it feel like it's something way more serious than that!!

[amusicaladventure]

Oh, I do? Why, do you want it to be?

[This is so easy, Ash's heart almost isn't in it.]

[fortuneglass]

[sCREAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-]

Th-Th-

That's not important!!! We're not going to the springs right now after all!!

[amusicaladventure]

Oh, so we'll go together later?

[insidescoop]

[She just needs to. Keep cool. Keep....Cool...]

I don't even know if you're serious any more..!!!

[She failed.]

[amusicaladventure]

Hey, hey, hey, Carly! Do I seem like the sort of girl who hits on someone casually?

[insidescoop]

MMNNNNNHHHH Y-You tell me!!

[amusicaladventure]

I'll tell you! I'll tell you that I, Ash, would never flirt with a girl who wasn't A-class material!

[fortuneglass]

S-S-

[OHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOO...] ....

...You think I'm 'A-Class'...?

[She's blushin' Ashleigh, but it's a much happier one now.]

[amusicaladventure]

Carly, you're hot as hell. [Without the glasses, anyway. Those need work.] But more than that, you've got skill and talent, too. And you're nice. All that's a pretty killer package!

[insidescoop]

I... [...Joking aside, Carly finds herself blinking as her tone drops to something more serious. Obviously back in the Carnival, she doesn't wear glasses any more...but adjusting the ones she has on just now, she finds herself lost for words.]

...Y...You're serious..? ...All of those things, altogether..?

[amusicaladventure]

[Exactly. She looks so much better without them. Not a favor this world has done for her.]

Uh, yeah? Plus you're fun to tease, that's a plus too. [Ash grins, though she means that.]

[insidescoop]

[ OOOF! Now that just brings them back to a huff!] I-

H-Hey! That's not supposed to be a good thing!!

[amusicaladventure]

It isn't? But if you were cold as stone and impossible to move in any way, I'd find you boring and unapproachable!

[fortuneglass]

Haahhhhh, that's true, isn't it...

...I, I guess I wouldn't want to be like that at all..!!